Vein disfunctionning and vein problems are a very common and wide-spread disorder. One in three woman create varicose veins after the first pregnancy, and one in two woman after the second child. The surgical treatment of the Saphena, the so-called "stripping", has been the "gold standard" for decades. As this operation is not without risks, a less stressful method of treatment has been developed by several doctors.

The objective of the treatment is to sclerose the large or small (diseased) vein trunk with the help of a sclerosing agent. To apply the active agent exactly where it is to take effect, we use a special catheter which is introduced through a skin incision in the lower extremity under local anaesthesia. The catheter has a balloon at the tip which after inflation with nacl prevents the sclerosing agent from passing to far in the Saphena. The distribution of the active agent is controlled by permanent ultra-sound monitoring. Foam sclerotherapy: By mixing the sclerosing agent with air, a fine foam is produced which can cover a large area of the diseased vessel from inside.

After sufficient contact time with the wall of the vein (3 to 5 minutes), the remainder of the sclerosing agent and the blood is being withrawn out of the vein.
The patient then needs to be put on a compression stocking before he can leave the hospital. The patient then needs to walk for about 45 minutes in order to prevent possible thrombosis. The next day the patient is normally fit again to work. Hardly any pain is noticed, neither during treatment nor over the following few days. The Saphena may feel hard for a few weeks. A control check-up should take place after three to six months. If the treatment has not brought about the desired success, it may be repeated with a higher concentration of the sclerosing agent. The risks of the treatment correspond to those of the well-known varicose vein sclerotherapy. Through the controlled administration of the sclerosing agent and its removal directly after the treatment, the risk of side-effects is reduced and the success rate is very high, i.e. the closure rate of the treated vessels, is increased.

The working of the Kavs catheter in summary:

• Open the vein and put the catheter forward under ultrasound control.
• Inflate the balloon with NaCl and in order to block the vein
• Inject the sclerosing agent
• Control the effect via ultrasound
• Aspirate the sclerosing agent after the effect
• Un-block the vein and remove the catheter

The KAVS catheter is particularly designed for the new effective and safe method of catheter assisted Saphena sclerotherapy.

Technical description: